9 ways to be SunSafe

• Check daily sun protection times.
• Include UV exposure in risk management and assessment for all outdoor events and activities.
• Plan daily activities based on daily sun protection times and UV levels.

Use the free SunSmart Global UV app to check your local sun protection times.

• Ensure shade is available and outdoor activities are planned where there is the greatest shade.
• Regularly assess, maintain and improve shade structures.

Incorporating ample shade is essential for creating safe, welcoming and healthy educational environments and communities. Besides offering sun protection, shade provides numerous additional benefits for the health, safety and wellbeing of both children and educators. It can also help with biodiversity in your local area.

Need more shade at your school or service?

Our Shade Advocacy toolkit offers steps to help you advocate for and implement shade.

• Require SunSmart hats for all staff and children
• Encourage children without hats to play in shades areas or provide spare SunSmart hats.

• Require staff and children to wear SunSmart clothing that covers as much of the skin as possible (especially the shoulders, back and stomach).
• Encourage children without SunSmart clothing to play in shades areas or provide spare SunSmart clothing.

SunSmart clothing includes:

• Loose fitting shirts and dresses with sleeves and collars or covered neckline.
• Longer style skirts, shorts and trousers.
• Midriff, crop, or singlet tops do not provide enough sun protection and are not recommended.

• Require that all staff and children apply SPF50 or 50+ broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen 20 minutes before going outdoors, and reapply every 2 hours or more often if swimming, sweating or towel drying.
• Where children have allergies or sensitivity to sunscreen, ask parents to provide an alternative sunscreen or encourage the child to play in the shade.

Key Tips:

• Place sunscreen in key areas like outdoor learning spaces, classrooms, and at events. Pack sunscreen for excursions.
• Keep sunscreen in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight. Monitor expiry dates.
• Include permission to apply sunscreen in enrolment forms.
• Cancer Council recommends usage tests before applying a new sunscreen.
• Involve kids in managing sunscreen refills, setting reminders, and choosing poster locations and designs to encourage usage.

Remember to use sunscreen along with other sun protection measures like staying in the shade, wearing protective clothing, a broad-brimmed hat, and sunglasses.

• Keep babies under 12 months out of direct sunlight.
• Regularly check their clothing, hat, and shade positioning to ensure babies are well protected from UV.
• The use of sunscreen on babies under 6 months is not recommended due to their sensitive skin.

As part of WH&S UV risk controls and role modelling, staff, families, and visitors demonstrate SunSmart behaviours when outside, inspiring children to be SunSmart.

This means:

• Slip on protective clothing
• Slop on SPF50+ sunscreen
• Slap on a broad-brimmed hat
• Seek shade
• Slide on sunglasses.  

• Regularly include sun safety in learning programs.

Key Tip:

• Encourage children to take active roles in sun protection by accessing daily UV levels and sun protection times and helping with hat reminders and sunscreen.

• Share your sun protection policy with staff, families, and visitors.
• Regularly update and communicate sun protection information.